Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

In the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, voters gave the AfD and the BSW, two authoritarian and extremist parties, a combined absolute majority for the first time.

It was a secret ballot. We do not know who exactly gave their votes to the AfD candidate.

How and whether this secret ballot can ever be clarified remains to be seen.

But for me, one thing is clear: Anyone who votes for a member of a far-right extremist party to become president of the state parliament must reconcile that with their conscience.